Safety first: Meet the people keeping your food safe
Read Time: 4 minutes
June 07, 2024
It’s hard to overstate the importance of food safety.
That is why for Cargill, food safety is non-negotiable. To deliver on our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way, we must be leaders in preventing foodborne illnesses, explains Sean Leighton, Cargill’s vice president of food safety, quality & regulatory (FSQR).
“Every day, thousands of our colleagues around the world are working hard to ensure the safety and quality of our products,” Sean says. “But it takes all of us working together — with partners like the World Health Organization — to make our entire food system even safer and more sustainable.”
This is no small responsibility. According to the World Health Organization, an average of 1.6 million people get sick from eating unsafe food every day. Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites and even chemical substances can cause more than 200 diseases.
Below, meet four Cargill employees working every day to ensure your food is fit to eat.
Rachel Carter: ‘Never a typical day’
Rachel Carter works in Cargill’s Wolverhampton facility in the United Kingdom. She’s worked in food safety for ten years.
Role: Quality systems and compliance manager for Cargill’s protein business in Europe
Location: Balliol, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Time at Cargill: 10 years
Question (Q): Why is food safety important to you?
Answer (A): Food safety is important to me as it ensures we protect each other, our customers and our consumers. Food isn’t just nourishment. People eat food to have positive experiences, and this is enhanced when someone is confident that what they are eating is safe. So, food safety plays a significant part in ensuring that people can enjoy food and that they are protected and safe while doing so.
Q: What do you love about your job at Cargill?
I would say there is never a typical day in an FSQR facility role (but who wants to be typical!), which is what I love about my job.”
Lori Scott: 36 years of keeping food safe
"In FSQR, you are the advocate for feed safety, it is critical that you understand the requirements (i.e. internal, regulatory, customer) and the systems that you are working with."
Role: FSQR feed and germ extraction specialist
Location: Eddyville, Iowa, United States
Time at Cargill: 36 years
Q: Why is food safety important to you?
A: As an owner of a beef cattle farm and mom of two dogs (whom I treat like my kids), the safety of what I feed them is critical. That carries over to my work with Cargill and working in the branded feed and pet food space. I want to ensure that the products that we are shipping out of our Eddyville facility will not harm any animals and that our customers have the confidence that we are producing the safest ingredients.
Q: What is one of your proudest moments with Cargill?
A: The day that I was hired 36 years ago! I was very excited to start my journey with a company that had an outstanding reputation and was growing rapidly. I don’t think many people start their first jobs with the thought that this will be their career for life, but I could see as the years progressed that the opportunities were limitless.
3 simple ways you can practice food safety
What can you do to practice food safety at home? We asked Sean Leighton, who leads a Cargill team of 4,500 food safety professionals, for practical steps that everyone can take to keep their food safe. Here’s what he says:
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before handling food. Any less, and you might not remove all harmful bacteria.
- Keep hot things hot and cold things cold. This simple rule is one of Sean’s favorite hacks to avoid the outbreak of harmful bacteria. Foods that must be heated before they can be eaten should be kept at or above 140°Fahrenheit. Cold food should be kept below 40°Fahrenheit.
- Cooking meat and seafood? Check internal temperatures. Why? Some bacteria in raw meat will only die off when heated to a certain temperature — otherwise you can risk food poisoning.
Giannina Pesallaccia: Building consumer confidence
Giannina's advice to someone new in the food safety space is to "explore the information available at Cargill about food safety, policies, and procedures."
Role: FSQR leader for Cargill’s South America South Hub agricultural supply chain business
Location: Six plants across Brazil and one plant in Paraguay
Time at Cargill: 12 years
Q: Why is food safety important to you?
A: Our purpose could not be accomplished if we did not ensure safety for our consumers. Each time a person chooses a product from a supermarket shelf, they should know that it will be safe for themselves and their families, which is why it is important to me to ensure food safety.
Q: What is one of your proudest moments with Cargill?
A: Anytime we get a visit from clients or auditors, it makes me feel proud because of the quality and safety systems we have in place. They are often impressed by the high-tech quality measurement tools and the laboratory.
Yatin Sawant: Award-winning safety culture
Yatin’s facility and team won Best Food Safety Culture Award from a customer and a Best Value Partner Award from another customer.
Role: Assistant FSQR manager for Cargill’s edible oils solution business
Location: Pvt. Ltd. Kandla facility in India
Time at Cargill: 8 years
Q: Why is food safety important to you?
A: Food safety provides assurance that the products we deliver are safe to society. Standard Food Safety Practices prevent food recalls, which could otherwise impact our brand and business. I feel committed and inspired when I work for food safety.
Q: What is one of your proudest moments at Cargill?
A: There are many moments that make me proud to work at Cargill. If I had to pick, I would say the time when we received a Best Food Safety Culture Award and a Best Value Partner Award from our customers. That was special!
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